Billy’s Journey

As a child, I drank in stories, as I grew I liked to tell them. Not jokes, my family tell me I can’t tell jokes. I always fluffed up the punch line or started laughing before I got it out. Still do.

A lot of the old Brother’s Grimm stories stuck with me and one day Billy Hopped into my life. I took him on a little trip through my mind and a story developed. So I wrote it down. I loved this little bloke and found him to be sweet, innocent and naive, yet with a lesson to teach others and one to learn.

Many years later I turned it into a hand made book, took it to a Primary school and asked the headmaster if a teacher could read it to some suitably aged classes. He agreed readily. The response from him afterwards was so encouraging I wondered if my swollen head would allow me to get out the door! I wasn’t used to compliments.

Handing that little piece of work over, made me so nervous I hardly slept but that feeling of euphoria given to me that day by the headmaster? That will never be forgotten, even if what he actually said has been sent to the recesses of my memory. He gave me a forever treasured gift.

Anyway some years after that, in fact a lot of years after that, (I know. Time flies. right?) I published Billy Hop’s Dream to Amazon. It took all my nerve, yeah people sometimes say I have a lot of nerve, but I think it must be a different type of nerve, going by the funny look on their face. Dunno what they mean!

The little book hardly sells on Amazon and that’s okay, it’s sitting there, has done since 2012. But recently I received a couple of reviews, no idea why that happened all of a sudden but suffice is to say I was doing a little jig when two people actually wrote reviews about the little story. And they were both really nice! (And yes, it caused another two moments of head swell!) I can’t describe the feeling of excitement and utter pleasure when I hear or read that my work is enjoyed.

I visited Dongara on Thursday to launch book IV “Her Grandma’s Ghosts” and WOW, the staff are super friendly and so very helpful. They set up for me, complete with a little Xmas tree and scented candle. They supplied and made the morning tea themselves, helped me lug in my boxes of books and then […]